The Man Who Wasn't There
by Sanguinary
Summary: Vince has left Pleasantville in the hopes that he can find somewhere to belong. Instead, he finds another imaginary friend. But there's something sinister about her, something she's hiding. (Finished)
1. Found Someone Like Him

TITLE: The Man Who Wasn't There  
  
AUTHOR: Sanguinary  
  
COPYRIGHT: April 2, 2001  
  
RATING: PG 13 for Violence  
  
SPOILERS: Invincible Fiend  
  
DISCLAIMER: BWoC owns Vince and Merton. Pel is part of my own twisted imagination. All lyrics and poems belong to their respective authors.  
  
FEEDBACK: Sanguinary_515@hotmail.com  
  
SUMMARY: Vince, lonely and unhappy, runs into another Imaginary Friend. But as he learns more about her, he beings to realize that Pel isn't all that she seems to be.  
  
AN: This fic has been a long time in the making. Almost four months if I remember correctly. Pel is a work in progress and I am considering a sequel. If you think I should, please say so if you review. Thank you very much. Now, on with the show…er… fic.  
  
~~  
  
As I was walking up the stair  
  
I saw a man who wasn't there  
  
He wasn't there again today  
  
O how I wish he'd go away  
  
~~  
  
Vince leant against the fence surrounding the school. Off in the distance, children played, too busy to see Vince. He longed to join them but stayed where he was. He knew that he was punishing himself for failing Merton, for not loving him enough to make Merton want Vince to stay.  
  
A small child ran by Vince, shrieking with delight. Suddenly he came to a decision, and stood upright. He walked towards the school. As he walked towards the entranceway, he noticed the woman sitting in it.  
  
She sat in the entranceway of the school, watching the kids as they ran by her. He couldn't see her face because it was covered with long purple hair. As he walked closer, he could hear her humming a song he didn't recognize. She was wearing a baby t-shirt and jean short, both which were a dark purple. Flower flip-flops, also purple, adorned her feet. She sat with her knees up against her chest, arms wrapped around them.  
  
He was about to pass by her when she spoke.  
  
"Aren't you hot?" She raised her head and brushed the hair out of her face.  
  
"You… you can see Vince?" He stopped in his tracks, stunned. Until now, only children had seen Vince.  
  
"Of course." She smiled, "Now, aren't you hot? It's July and you're walking around wearing what looks like wool.  
  
Vince sat down across from the woman. His eyes narrowed and his voice grew cold, "How come you can see Vince?"  
  
She laughed, sounding uncannily like the wind chime that had hung outside of Merton's window as a child. "You're so paranoid. I see you because I was like you."  
  
"Like Vince?"  
  
"An Imaginary Friend," She smiled wryly, "Alone. Unwanted. Angry."  
  
"You were an Imaginary Friend?" Vince looked in shock at the woman, "You're lying."  
  
"No. At least not about this." She leaned forward, "I was the Imaginary Friend to a boy named Jeff Bunk. I stayed by his side for fifteen years, being faithful and loyal." Her tone suddenly turned bitter, "Until he left me in that park and told me to never come back."  
  
Vince drew back, stunned by the hatred in her voice, "What did you do?"  
  
"I left. I ran away as far I could go." She sighed, "And then…"  
  
"Then?"  
  
"Jeff died." She looked up at Vince, tears in her eyes, "And I became… almost real."  
  
"Almost real? What do you mean?"  
  
"When he died, whatever made Jeff real left his body and entered mine." She brushed away the tears, "I knew everything he knew, felt everything he felt… became partly real. I'm almost human."  
  
"Almost?"  
  
"I still have all the powers I had when I was imaginary. And though normally, most people can see me, I have the ability to drop out of their vision if I need to get away." She smiled, "And I don't age."  
  
Vince frowned, "At all?"  
  
"No. It's been almost 30 years since Jeff died and I haven't aged a day." She gazed off into space for a moment, remembering something, "I can't explain it and… I don't really want to either. Maybe it's magic or maybe its something else altogether. Either way, I'll never die."  
  
Vince took in all of this in silence. The idea of living forever both scared and delighted Vince. He had suspected that he would live as long as Merton but to be able to live on, even after Merton death… that was something he had never dared even dream of.  
  
They sat, the only two quiet beings on a warm July afternoon. Around them ran children, crying and yelling and pretty much just being kids.  
  
"Do you want to come with me?" The question startled Vince and he looked up at the girl.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said do you want to come with me? I don't mean to be rude but it's obvious that you haven't been free very long." She stood up and offered her hand to Vince, "I've been around the world. I'll take you places you never dreamed existed. I show you something beyond the white picket fence that has kept you staked down your entire life. All you have to do is trust me."  
  
Vince stared at the hand. He had spent most of his life locked in a chest in the attic of Merton's house. This was the first time he had even been outside of Pleasantville. Part of him admitted that he was frightened at the prospect of going ever farther away. But…  
  
But part of him wanted to know. And she might be the only other 'friend' who understands what he's going though.  
  
Cautiously, he took her hand and stood up as well. A wide smile broke out across the girl's face. "You won't regret this. I'm going to blow your mind… wait, what's your name?"  
  
"Vince. What's yours?"  
  
"Pel." She dropped his hand and put her arm around Vince's shoulder. "I think that we'll get along just fine."  
  
~  
  
I hear you calling me  
  
Yes I hear you calling me  
  
Home from the great escape  
  
1 Yes I can read you loud and clear  
  
~Only Us, Peter Gabriel  
  
~  
  
He stared at the plate in front of him.  
  
"Eat up," Pel picked up her fork and knife, "Try it. I bet you'll like it."  
  
Vince doubted this but he was too polite to say so. Imitating Pel, he picked up his knife and fork. He watched her as she stabbed the knife into the pancake and used the knife to cut it into eight equal pieces. He attempted to do the same, but instead of eight neat cuts, his efforts only brought him seventeen ragged pieces, all different in shape and size.  
  
"Don't worry. You'll get used to it." Pel smiled and stuck a piece of her pancake in her mouth.  
  
Vince wasn't so sure about that. "Why does Vince have to learn to eat? Vince doesn't need to."  
  
Pel swallowed the mouthful that she had been chewing. "Not yet anyway. But when you do become 'almost real' it'll be hard to get used to all of the things that your body needs. Sleep, food and so on. When I first became partly-real, I didn't eat for a week and I ended up in the hospital with an IV in my arm." She set down her fork and pushed up her sleeve to show Vince the make where the needle had been. "I didn't understand why it didn't heal right after I took the IV out. It turns out that when you become almost real, the first scar you get stays with you instead of fading away." She rubbed her fingers over the small mark. "I've had this mark for almost thirty years. A reminder that I need to do all the things that real people do."  
  
There was silence for a moment. Then Vince picked up the utensils and took a bite of the pancake. Pel smiled with pleasure.  
  
Vince just chewed.  
  
~  
  
I rise, looking through my morning eyes,  
  
Surprised to find you by my side.  
  
Rack my brain to try to remember your name  
  
To find the words to tell you goodbye.  
  
~Stay, Pink Floyd  
  
~  
  
He knows that he's staring but he can't help it. She's too busy driving to notice.  
  
The sunlight streams in though the windows on her side of the car, making her hair seems a lighter colour than it is. The light makes a silhouette out of her, hiding the imperfections and making her solid.  
  
But it is her hands that he stares at. Sunlight reveals the hidden lines and wrinkles. As she flexes her hands, the skin stretches, erasing some of the lines. A look at his hands reveals hands empty of any lines. No lines on his palm, no fingerprints. If the lines on a person's palm tell the future, it's obvious to Vince what his are saying.  
  
He has no future, no past.  
  
She, on the other hand, had inherited one from her past friend. The future that was his is now hers. Vince is slightly jealous but can't figure out why. He knows that there's nothing left for him. His purpose has been served.  
  
So why is continuing this charade? Why does he stay instead of fading away?  
  
He's not sure. Maybe Pel can show him.  
  
"You'll love Canada," She catching him off guard, startling him out of his thoughts, "It's beautiful in the wintertime when it's covered with snow."  
  
"Snow…" Vince said the word slowly, savouring it in his mouth, "That's the white, cold stuff, right?"  
  
She nods, "Yeah. I bet you haven't seen any in quite a while."  
  
"Vince hasn't ever seen snow."  
  
"Never?" He could hear the shock in Pel's voice.  
  
"Vince doesn't think so." He thought for a moment, "Maybe a long ago Vince may have seen some. But Vince doesn't remember a lot that happened before the Chest."  
  
They were quiet for a moment. Pel knew that Vince was uncomfortable talking about the Chest and Vince didn't feel ready to explain everything to Pel quite yet.  
  
They drove on. 


	2. But Something's Not Quite Right

Breathe, breathe in the air.  
  
Don't be afraid to care.  
  
Leave but don't leave me.  
  
Look around and choose your own ground.  
  
Long you live and high you fly  
  
And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry  
  
And all you touch and all you see  
  
Is all your life will ever be.  
  
~Breath, Pink Floyd  
  
~  
  
"Wake up," A gentle hand shook Vince's shoulder, "Come on."  
  
Vince opened his eyes, blinking away the sleepiness that he felt. He yawned and looked around, trying to remember where he was.  
  
The maroon inside of Pel's car was a welcome sight. Vince had been dreaming that he was still locked inside of the Chest. Hovering over him, excitement written all over her face, was Pel. She was wearing what looked like a large sock over her head and she had on a big, purple jacket.  
  
"What's wrong Pel?" He looked around, "Where are we?"  
  
"Sit up," She smiled, "And you'll see."  
  
Sitting up slowly, he looked around. His mouth dropped open in surprise.  
  
The world outside the car was bright white. There was snow everywhere, covering the trees and fields. The sky was white too, filled with falling snow and clouds. Vince couldn't find the spot where the earth ended and the clouds began. Pel giggled and opened the door that Vince was leaning against, dropping him out of the car and into a snow bank.  
  
He just lay there for a moment, feeling the snowflakes land gently on his face. Pel opened her door and landed in the snow beside Vince. Her breath came out in foggy clouds, appearing for a moment and then dissipating.  
  
"It's beautiful." Vince whispered.  
  
Pel nodded, "I know." She sat up and pulled Vince up with her, "You should get some warmer clothes on. You'll catch a cold in those."  
  
Vince looked down at his normal clothes. He closed his eyes and imagined himself wearing clothes like Pel's clothing, only green. A faint tingling filled Vince's body and when he opened his eyes, he was dressed like Pel.  
  
And that's when the snowball hit him in the face.  
  
Pel laughed at Vince wiped the snow out of his eyes. "Vince is going to get you for that!" He shouted as he grabbed a handful of snow.  
  
"Not unless I get you first!" Another snowball went whizzing by his head. Vince chucked one at Pel and, when she dodged it, tackled her, sending them both crashing into the wet snow. She shrieked as they went down and Vince took that opportunity to stuff snow down the collar of her jacket.  
  
Pel's screams echoed in the surrounding hills.  
  
~  
  
You thought you'd found a friend  
  
To take you out of this place  
  
Someone you could lend a hand  
  
In return for grace  
  
~Beautiful Day, U2  
  
~  
  
"What's it like?"  
  
"What's what like?"  
  
"Breathing. Eating. Sleeping." Vince gestured towards Pel's body. "Everything. What's it like?"  
  
"Intense." She plopped down on the bed, running a hand though her wet hair, "It's… I can't describe it. Everything is brighter, more real. You can taste food and… and the smells! Like fresh food and burning paper. They are amazing. Music can mean something more than just nice sounding notes. You can feel cold and hot all the way inside. And people… just talking and touching them." She looked up at Vince, "Imagine being able to touch skin and feel all that blood rushing beneath it. The difference is hard to explain… it's like trying to tell a blind person the difference between red and black when all they know is black."  
  
"That different." Vince sat beside Pel.  
  
She nodded and gently cradled his head in her hands. Her hands felt strange, not at all like Merton's hands. Where Merton's were soft, her hands were strong. Vince could never remember another person touching him. "Even you… I can feel the power in you. And you're so smooth." She stroked the side of his face.  
  
Vince was slightly disturbed by this but he pushed it out of his mind. Pel was a little strange. He guessed that the death of creator had made her a little bit insane.  
  
Sensing that he was uncomfortable, she removed her hands from Vince's face and picked up her hairbrush from the nightstand. She began to brush her hair.  
  
"Why do your do that?"  
  
"Hmm?" Pel said, "Do what?"  
  
"Brush your hair?" He touched a stand of the tangled mess, "Why don't you just make it go into place."  
  
"I can't. For some reason, I don't have control over my hair. I'm not sure why but I think it has to have something to do with the fact that I'm partly real." She finished brushing her hair in silence.  
  
~  
  
I went out walking  
  
Through streets paved with gold  
  
Lifted some stones  
  
Saw the skin and bones  
  
Of a city without a soul  
  
I went out walking  
  
Under an atomic sky  
  
Where the ground won't turn  
  
And the rain it burns  
  
Like the tears when I said goodbye  
  
~The Wander, U2 and Johnny Cash  
  
~  
  
The grave was one of the largest in the cemetery.  
  
The huge stone angel was the biggest gravestone that Vince had ever seen. It stood somewhere around fifteen feet, jutting from the earth like an angry finger. The angel stood on a base around five feet tall and its cold, blank eyes stared down at Vince and Pel.  
  
Pel walked up to the gravestone, tears running down her face. She knelt in front of the stone and gently placed a bouquet of roses at its base. Vince walked towards the gravestone and read the inscription.  
  
1 Jeffery Daniel Bunk  
  
1952-1970  
  
Loved Son  
  
Cut Down in His Youth  
  
Below this inscription there was another one.  
  
May He Spend His Days  
  
With the Angels  
  
And May His Murderer  
  
Burn In Hell  
  
"He was murdered?" Vince asked.  
  
"Yes." Pel stood and faced Vince, her tears gone, "We found his body in the playground. It… it looked like he had been attacked by wolves." She swallowed and blinked away tears, "He was everywhere Vince. It was bright red and… he was everywhere."  
  
Vince wrapped Pel in a hug and gently rubbed her back. "It's okay. Vince understands."  
  
Pel buried her head into Vince's chest, hiding the smile that would not be contained.  
  
~  
  
Look at my mouth, a thin painted line  
  
Look at my limbs, bent up and bundled in twine  
  
Forever, ever mine  
  
Form of a tree, shape of a child  
  
I wish I could cry, stuck in a permanent smile  
  
Forever, ever mine  
  
~Just a Toy, Barenaked Ladies  
  
~  
  
"All around the cobbler's bench, the monkey chased the weasel. The monkey though 'twas all in fun. Pop, goes the weasel. A penny a spool of thread, a penny for a needle. That's the way the money goes. Pop! Goes the weasel."  
  
Vince looked over at Pel, who was busy singing 'Pop! Goes the weasel" for what seemed like the fiftieth time. She was too busy driving to notice him looking at her. He had begun to notice things about Pel. And most of them were disturbing.  
  
She sang nursery rhymes when she was nervous about something. She bit her nails down to the quick. When he asked for the truth, she only gave him part of it. She rocked back and forth in the middle of the night when she thought Vince was asleep, mumbling incoherently for hours on end. Pel's sense of humour was more than just a bit odd.  
  
But what was most disturbing of all was her refusal to speak about Jeff's death. Vince knew that she was hiding something from him. Jeff had been killed, supposedly when Pel had left her hometown. But there was something about the description of Jeff's body that disturbed Vince.  
  
Jeff had been ripped apart by something inhumanly strong. He had been splattered all over the playground, cut and mutilated almost beyond recognition. It was as if something had just snapped and began to tear, without ever understanding what it was doing.  
  
Vince knew that Pel had something to do with Jeff's death. But it was an almost impossible concept to grasp. He could never imagine killing Merton, no matter what he may have said. To kill your creator is a terrible thing to do, for both the creator and the created. It is to destroy your nature and deny your heritage.  
  
But Vince said nothing. Pel was the only one like him, the only one who understood him. And no matter what he suspected, he would stay with her; learn as much as he could.  
  
And, as she being the fifty-second singing of 'Pop! Goes the Weasel', Vince joined in. 


	3. She's Still A Child In Many Ways

It may sound absurd  
  
But don't be naive  
  
Even heroes have the right to bleed  
  
I may be disturbed  
  
But won't you conceive  
  
Even heroes have the right to dream  
  
~Superman, Five for Fighting  
  
~  
  
"You should change your clothes."  
  
"What?" Vince turned to look at Pel.  
  
"You've been wearing the same thing for a month now." She finished tying her shoes and straightened up, "Don't you feel like wearing something different?"  
  
"Why?" Vince looked down at his green, white and black outfit, "Vince likes what Vince is wearing. It's comfortable and…"  
  
"And Merton liked it." Pel finished for Vince, the sarcasm evident in her voice. "It all comes back to Merton. 'Merton liked this', 'Merton liked that'." She stomped into the bathroom. Vince followed her.  
  
"Pel," He sighed, "Vince can't just forget that Merton ever existed."  
  
"Why not? Merton forgot you."  
  
Vince tried not to let Pel know how much that hurt. Merton had been Vince's world for almost thirteen years and though it may have been easy for Merton to forget Vince, Vince couldn't do the same.  
  
"Merton has new friends," Vince found it hard to say the words but he forced himself to, "He doesn't need Vince."  
  
"Then why do you care?" Pel looked at Vince, "Why can't you forget him? You don't need him."  
  
"But Merton…"  
  
"STOP!!" Suddenly, Pel swung around towards the mirror and punched it, shattering it into a thousand pieces. The glass fell all over the bathroom, bouncing off the walls and the sink.  
  
"PEL!" Vince grabbed Pel and pulled her hand away from the broken mirror. Blood was running down her hand, coating the shredded flesh. He forced her to sit down on the edge of the tub while he wrapped a towel around her hand to stop the bleeding. "What did you do that for?"  
  
"Why can't you stop saying his name?" Pel shouted at Vince, "He doesn't matter, no more than Jeff mattered! They're both worthless beings, barely worth being called creators! They abandoned us, treated us like trash!" She looked up at Vince, anger blazing in her purple eyes, "He threw you out!"  
  
This time Vince did wince but instead of getting angry, he rummaged under the sink until he found some gauze and a tenser bandage. He took the towel off of Pel's hand and looked at it. She had torn most of the flesh off of her knuckles and cuts ran up and down most of her hand. Gently, he wrapped the gauze around her bloody hand. Pel didn't flinch in the slightest but she did bite her lip to keep quiet. Vince worked quickly and efficiently; he had often patched up Merton's wounds, even though none of them were as bad as Pel's hand. He finished wrapping the bandage around her hand, covering almost all of it. "Pel…" Vince sighed, "Vince is sorry but… Vince can't just forget about Mer… him. Vince spent most of Vince's life caring for… him. And… it's hard to explain. Vince feels like he failed Mer… him. He didn't want Vince anymore and… that makes Vince feel as if Vince wasn't good enough."  
  
"You are good! You're one of the best people that I know. And for him, he doesn't need you Vince." She touched the bandage on her hand and when she spoke again, her voice was low, "But I do."  
  
Vince paused and looked at Pel. "Does Pel mean that?"  
  
She nodded. "More than I've ever meant anything else. I… I try to be real but I can't… I can't get used to feeling all of the time. It never goes away." She began to cry again, "It never gets easier and… and hate… I hate…" Her words were lost as she sobbed.  
  
Vince drew Pel into a hug and gently rubbed her back. He didn't want to admit it, but he liked having someone to take care of, someone who needed him.  
  
~  
  
1 Don't speak  
  
I know just what you're saying  
  
So please stop explaining  
  
Don't tell me 'cause it hurts  
  
Don't speak  
  
I know what you're thinking  
  
I don't need your reasons  
  
Don't tell me 'cause it hurts  
  
~Don't Speak, No Doubt  
  
~  
  
Vince was slowly getting used to eating food.  
  
They were stopped at an all-night diner for some food before they started driving again. There were maybe ten people in the whole place but Pel assured Vince that it was normal for so few people to be around at two A.M.  
  
Outside, gigantic trucks that Pel called Rigs were parked beside smaller cars. They were bathed in the orange glare from the solarium lights that blocked out the night sky. Pel ate bacon and peanut butter toast with a glass of milk. Vince found that he preferred a glass of water with some fruits and vegetables. The bacon made him feel sick and milk tasted wrong. He bit into the green apple, enjoying the acidic taste it had.  
  
Pel was humming quietly as she ate. Pel was visible but, since Vince could not be seen, she ordered all of the food for just herself. When the food came, she just put the plate in the middle of the table where both she and Vince could reach it.  
  
Vince settled into the squishy padding on the bottom and back of the bench he was sitting on. He looked at Pel sitting across from him and idly wondered if her bench was as comfy as his. Vince was about to ask when a shadow fell over his and Pel's table.  
  
They both looked up at the large trucker. The man looked to almost seven feet tall and three hundred plus pounds. The man smelt terrible, almost as if he had never washed in his life. He smiled, revealing a mouth with what appeared to be only five yellow teeth.  
  
"You need a ride?" He drawled, trying to sound savvy.  
  
"I have a car." Pel turned back to her meal and kept eating.  
  
"Do you?" The man side into the bench were Vince sat. Vince, repulsed by the man, slid under the table and made his way to Pel's side. He popped his head back up and sat beside Pel. "Cause there were just some vandals out in the parking lot and I think they may have gotten your car."  
  
Before Pel could speak, the man tossed a small object on the table. Vince looked at it and saw that it was it tiny green pom-pom that Pel had tied to the gearshift. Her eyes narrowed as she saw it. "What the hell did you do to my car?" She asked in a low voice.  
  
"I didn't do anything," The man feigned mock innocence, "I was just walking past when I saw them run away leaving this. So, me being a kind-hearted guy, I came to offer you a ride. I got plenty of room in my cab." He said these last words while leering at Pel. Vince felt himself growing angrier and angrier.  
  
"Don't look at me like that," Pel sounded brave but she slipped her hand under the table and caught Vince's hand. He could feel her trembling with fear. "I don't need a ride. I have way home. I have friends."  
  
"Sure you do." The man smirked, "That's what they all say. But they never do. Look at yourself; it's obvious you're just a runaway with your punky purple hair and little kid clothing. Probably stole the car to get away from mommy or daddy. You haven't got anything."  
  
"She's got Vince." Vince said, even though only Pel could hear him, and kick the man as hard as Vince could in the knee. The man, not expecting it the kick, moaned in pain, giving Vince and Pel the chance to get out of the booth. They ran for the door.  
  
"Hey!" The waitress behind the counter shouted, "You didn't pay for your meal! Come back here!"  
  
Pel and Vince got to the door and got out before the trucker even realized they had gone. The fresh air was heavenly compared to the sickly smell of deep-fry inside the diner. Pel looked around for their car and swore when she saw that it had been destroyed, most likely when they had been eating. "We've got to find another car."  
  
"Vince doesn't see any." He looked around desperately. "We were the only car that came in tonight. The waitress said so."  
  
"Wait…" Pel slapped herself in the forehead, "How could I be so stupid!" She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. For a moment, she seemed to fade and become as transparent as a ghost. Vince stared at her and gently stretched out his hand. It went right though Pel. Hastily, he drew it back and she solidified, turning normal again.  
  
The big, burly trucker ran out of the doors and looked around. "Hey! HEY!! Where the hell did you go?"  
  
Pel snickered and walked right up to the trucker. As he began to run again, she stuck out her foot and tripped him. He fell face first into the pavement with a wet smack, breaking his nose. He screamed, sounding oddly like an injured cow.  
  
"What did Pel do?" Vince walked up to her.  
  
"I forgot that I could become Unseen. I'm just so used to being Seen that sometimes I forget that I can switch back and forth between the two." She smiled sheepishly, "I have a lousily memory."  
  
She kicked the trucker in the ribs and then booted him in the head. He moaned in pain and stopped moving. For a moment, Vince thought that Pel had killed the trucker but then he began breathing again in long low inhales. Pel lifted her foot and put it on top of the trucker's head.  
  
"Pel…" Vince put a hand on her shoulder, "Let's just go."  
  
"I should crush his head." Her voice was level but Vince could see the excitement in her eyes. "He would deserve that much. You saw what he tried to do to me. He might have done it before. He might do it again!"  
  
"Pel." Vince spoke low. She turned and looked at him, "Don't."  
  
She took her boot off of his head and kicked him once more in the back. "He would have deserved it."  
  
For a moment, she looked like Merton used to look when Vince wouldn't let him do something dangerous or stupid. She curled her lip into a pout and crossed her arms over her chest. Pel was still much like a child with her inability to tell right from wrong. But there was something very disturbing to know that under the adult looks and the voice of reason, she was still very dangerous and child-like.  
  
Vince steered her away from the fallen trucker and towards the main parking lot. "Let's just get out of here. We can hitchhike or walk. We'll be okay."  
  
"I guess." Pel was still sulking, "We can walk for a while. But I want to sleep soon."  
  
"We'll find a place to sleep." Vince slipped off his jacket and put it around Pel's shoulders, "Don't worry, Vince will take care of everything."  
  
Like he always did. 


	4. Right and Wrong Have No Meaning

If I were a swan, I'd be gone.  
  
If I were a train, I'd be late.  
  
And if I were a good man,  
  
I'd talk with you  
  
More often than I do.  
  
~If, Pink Floyd  
  
~  
  
"You know what we need to do?"  
  
"What?" Vince turned to look at Pel, who was currently driving the car they had 'borrowed' a few states back.  
  
"We need to blow something up." Pel tapped the steering wheel for emphasise, "Maybe a gas station. Or a warehouse maybe. Just some place that will make a nice explosion."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because…" She paused for a moment, "Because they're pretty. And they'll make you feel better."  
  
"Vince is feeling just fine."  
  
"Then why are you pouting? You've been pouting since we got this car."  
  
"Vince doesn't think that Pel should have stolen the car."  
  
"And what would you have suggested?" Her voice took on a testy tone, "Hitchhike some more? Spend another couple of nights sleeping in the ditch because we couldn't get a lift? Next time, you can be in charge of transportation but right now we're driving this damn car."  
  
Vince began to speak but Pel switched on the radio as loud as it could go to drown him out. The annoying popish beat of the station that Pel had chosen echoed though the car. He refused to give into her childish game and instead stared in the rear view mirror.  
  
Which was when he first saw the police car.  
  
The car had it lights going and though he couldn't hear the siren, Vince suspected that it too was blaring. He turned over and tapped Pel on the shoulder. She slapped his hand away. Angrily, Vince turned off the radio.  
  
"Hey!" She snapped crossly, "What did you do that for?"  
  
"There's a police car chasing us."  
  
"What?" Pel glanced in her rear view mirror, "Why? I'm doing the speed limit and everything."  
  
"Are you sure that you're Seen instead of Unseen?"  
  
"Yes, I'm Seen."  
  
"Maybe we should pull over."  
  
"Oh damn it!" She slammed her hand against the dashboard, "I bet they're after the car because we stole it. We'll have to loose them."  
  
"You could just become Unseen and pull over. Then we could get out of here and let the police man have the car."  
  
Pel looked like she was about to snap at him when suddenly a smile crossed her face. It wasn't at all pleasant and Vince suddenly felt afraid. "Sure."  
  
She faded for a moment, causing Vince to have to grab the steering wheel to keep the car from driving into the other lane. When Pel reformed, she pulled onto the side of the road and slowed to a stop. Immediately, she pulled the keys of the ignition and got out of the car. Vince slid out behind her, confused as to what she was doing.  
  
The police car slowed to a stop right in front of the car. The doors on either side of the car opened and two police officers stepped out. The driver was a rather heavy man with doughnut crumbs on his blue shirt. The other was a young blond boy who looked nervous. Pel, keys still in hand, walked over to the older police officer and stood right in front of him.  
  
The older officer walked into her, fell backwards and hit the ground. He sat up and looked around. "What the…?" was all he had time to utter before Pel kicked him the head. His neck bent backwards with a sickening snap and he fell to the ground. She immediately leapt upon the young cop and stabbed him in the eye with the keys she was holding. The boy screamed in pain and fell to his knees, his hands reached up to cover his bleeding eye. Pel kicked the boy in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground. Vince ran towards her to stop her but before he could reach her, she lifted her one foot and smashed it down upon his head.  
  
"PEL!" Vince screamed. She paid no heed to him, bringing up her food to smash down again. Vince tacked her, rolling both of them into a ditch. They ended up a the bottom of it, Pel pinned by Vince, "What did you do that for? Why did you kill them?"  
  
Pel laughed insanely and reached up, grabbing the back of his head. She smashed her lips into his, kissing him. Vince drew back with revulsion and scrabbled off of her. Pel sat up and went after him. "Come on! Don't tell me that wasn't fun!"  
  
"It wasn't fun! It was sick! Vince doesn't understand why Pel killed the innocent men!"  
  
"Because it was fun!" She stood up and shoot the dead leaves out of her hair, "Because I was bored. And because I wanted their police car. Now come on stupid, let's get out of here before more cops show up." She held out her hand to him.  
  
Vince slapped it aside and got to his feet without her help. "No! You killed them Pel and Vince will not ride in a police car! You killed!"  
  
"Of course I killed you idiot. I've killed before and I'll kill again." She gestured towards the bodies, "What does it matter? There are over four billion of them living the planet. Who cares if there are two less to breed? No one Vince, no one cares. We're better than them. Their laws don't apply to us."  
  
"You forget that we were created by human, humans like them."  
  
"Humans exist for only one reason Vince. And that is to make more of us. After all, a chicken is only an egg's way of making another egg. That's all they are and the sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be. I felt like you did once Vince, I cared for them. And then one of them hurt me and made me realize that I shouldn't feel anything. Now, you can either get in that car willingly, or I'll make you get in that car. And if I have to kill more humans to get you in it, I can do so."  
  
For a moment, Vince was temped to run. But he knew that he couldn't leave her. She needed him.  
  
And he needed her to need him.  
  
Defeated, he walked to the police cruiser and got into the passenger seat. Pel happily followed him and slipped into the driver's seat. Vince tried not to look at the dead cops lying just behind the cruiser. Instead he concentrated on looking on the inside of the cruiser. His eyes settled on a picture taped to the dashboard. It was the younger police officer dressed in a black robe with a square black hat on his head. In his hand was a piece of rolled up paper and written on the bottom was a caption. 'Me on Graduation Day.' The sick feeling that had been in the pit of his stomach was suddenly doubled.  
  
Pel looked over and saw him staring at the picture. She ripped it off the dashboard and crumpled it up. "So where do you want to go?" Pel asked casually as she tossed the crumpled paper out the window, "I'm thinking we could chase down speeders or something fun like that."  
  
Vince swallowed and looked at Pel, "Let's just blow up something."  
  
She didn't notice the wavering in his voice. Instead, her face lit up and she squealed with delight, "I knew you'd come around to my way of thinking." She turned on the ignition and shifted into drive. As they pulled away, Pel began to ramble about what kinds of things were best to blow up. But Vince couldn't help but think of what she had just said to him.  
  
Was he really beginning to think her way?  
  
Somehow, that scared him more than anything else she had done.  
  
~  
  
People, dying, for no reason at all,  
  
Age is no difference or if you're large or small  
  
Families, been torn apart,  
  
Doesn't have to be this way,  
  
Some people, just have no heart,  
  
It's happening every day,  
  
~Pure Massacre, Silverchair  
  
~  
  
"Vince!" He woke up to Pel poking him, "Wake up already!"  
  
He blinked sleepily and looked around. They were still in the police cruiser. He must have fallen asleep at some point. "What?"  
  
"Look in the rear view mirror!" Her voice was shrill and excited. He looked ahead and gasped. Police cars, five or six of them, were chasing them and they weren't that far away. "They just appeared about five minutes ago! "  
  
  
  
"We can't outrun them all!"  
  
"I know!" She smiled evilly at him, "But I wasn't planning at out running them. I hope that you are fire retardant."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Look ahead!" She called out, her voice sing-songy. Vince looked ahead and was equally shocked.  
  
Not to far in the distance was a large fuelling station. There were four or five cars lined up but what really caught Vince's eye was the large tanker which was unloading gasoline. Pel slammed on the gas and Vince smacked the back of his chair.  
  
"Pel!" He screamed, clawing at his seatbelt, "We're going to crash!"  
  
"That's the point!" She screamed back, "Take a deep breath cause they is going to look so cool!"  
  
He barely had time to breath before they smashed into the tanker. Vince and Pel were both flung forwards into rapidly inflating airbags. But they had no time to recover as they were rocked backwards as the tanker exploded. Orange flames engulfed Vince's world and he was scorched with heat. He wanted to scream but somehow Vince knew that screaming would make it hurt worse.  
  
A hand grabbed his and yanked him out of the burning car, seconds before it's gas tank exploded. Another wave of fire knocked him over onto whoever his saviour was. The smell of burning hair and flesh filled the air and Vince found it next to impossible not to fall to his knees and gag with horror. The hand yanked him again, pulling him farther away. Vince finally got a good look and saw that it was Pel, engulfed in fire and smiling in delight. He was sickened by her and by her enjoyment and he tried to pull away. But the grip that she had on his hand was unbreakable and she dragged him past burning cars into a nearby field. He stumbled and fell. Pel, still on fire, rolled him in the dirt smothering his flames. When he was extinguished, she did the same with herself. He stared at the gas station, which was still exploding. He could hear screaming coming from the cars. Vince tried to stand so he can help them but he couldn't. Pel touched his shoulder and he turned to look at her. Her clothing was burnt and blackened, her face covered in ash and dust. But it was the patches of purple burnt hair that were too much for him. He doesn't remember passing out but at some point he did.  
  
When he wakes, he finds that the sky is orange and grey, a repulsive colour that sends shudders down his spine. The gas station is burning and it doesn't look like it will stop anytime soon. Pel is sitting nearby, her clothing no longer burnt and her hair back to normal length.  
  
"Hi." She said, voice soft. He tried to speak but can't. His throat had been burnt dry. She approached him and touched the side of his face. "You're still covered in ash. You might want to change your clothes."  
  
Vince looks at the burnt rags that he is wearing. Closing his eyes, he concentrates on making himself not burnt and healthy. As his body changes, he begins to cry softly for all the people who died for Pel's fun.  
  
When he opened his eyes, Pel hugged him and kissed him on the forehead, "It's okay," She said, "I'm okay. And you're okay too. We're both just fine."  
  
Her words just made him weep harder and he clung onto Pel though all he felt for her was revulsion. Vince just hugged her tighter and pretended that it was Merton he was hugging. He pretended that it was Merton who was hugging him back and telling him that he loved Vince and that he was sorry that he locked Vince in the trunk.  
  
They stayed that way for most of the night, illuminated by the flames that refuse to be extinguished by the firemen. 


	5. But Right and Wrong Matter to Him

Now did you read the news today  
  
They say the danger's gone away  
  
But I can see the fire's still alight  
  
There burning into the night.  
  
~Land of Confusion, Genesis  
  
~  
  
"I've got a surprise for you…" Pel smiled at Vince but Vince couldn't bring himself to smile back. He had been in a state of depression ever since Pel blew up the gas station around a month ago and nothing he did could make him happy.  
  
"What kind of surprise." Vince asked tiredly. Pel was trying to cheer Vince up. Unfortunately, her ideas of cheering up and Vince's ideas of cheering up were very different. So far she had caused three more explosions, destroyed five more cars and stolen more things than Vince could count. None of it made him feel better. But Pel refused to give up.  
  
"You'll see in a few hours." She patted his knee, "You might want to sleep until then."  
  
It had been hard for Vince to get to comfortable in cars, much less get to sleep, since he had been trapped inside a burning one. But he had been awake for almost twenty hours and it wasn't that hard for him to drift off into a thankfully dreamless slumber.  
  
~  
  
Day after day,  
  
Our love turns grey,  
  
Like the skin on a dying man.  
  
And night after night,  
  
We pretend it's all right,  
  
But I have grown older,  
  
And you have grown colder,  
  
And nothing is very much fun, anymore.  
  
~One of my Turns, Pink Floyd  
  
~  
  
He woke up alone.  
  
Tiredly, he looked around at the darkened houses surrounding the parked car. They were familiar somehow and he searched to place them in his mind. Unable to remember, he stretched and stepped out of the car. It is when he does this that he remembers the houses.  
  
Pel's brought him to Pleasantville.  
  
He quickly searched the dark for her but she was nowhere to be seen. Vince quickly racked his brain as to where she could have gone. She had never been to Pleasantville and he had described the town vaguely, uncertain of what was outside of the little world he and Merton had existed in. He knew that he should take this chance, find her and leave quickly.  
  
But Merton was so close nearby…  
  
The need to see Merton won over his common sense and he ran though the streets, searching for the familiar sight of Merton's house. The town was the same as it had been when he last left it and he wondered if maybe when he walked into Merton's house that Merton would still be a little boy who missed his friend.  
  
Vince reached the house quickly and snuck into the house though the kitchen window. He quietly sneaked across the floor, making sure not to step on the squeaky spots, and walked down the stairs. Vince stopped just short of the door to the Lair, uncertain of whether to continue or not.  
  
His hand brushed over the doorknob and he turned it slowly. The door swung open silently and Vince glided into the room. It was still the treasure trove of Gothic treasures that it had been when he had last entered it. And sleeping in the bed is the boy he was made to love, the boy who haunts his mind every day. Vince walked to the bed and sat on the edge of it.  
  
Merton looked so pale and fragile when he was asleep. Vince reached out one hand and gently ran it along the side of Merton's face. He mumbled softly in his sleep and nestled into the hand, causing Vince to smile with delight.  
  
"He's a pretty heavy sleeper." Vince jerked backwards as Pel's voice shattered the silence. She stood at the entrance to the Lair and looked around. "Hmm. Nice digs. If you're a vampire."  
  
She wandered around the Lair, picking up assorted objects and looking at them with disinterest. Vince had the sudden irrational desire to stand up and kick her out of the Lair. Part of him hated that she was looking down at who Merton was and what he did. "Merton's not a vampire. He's a Goth now."  
  
Pel walked towards Vince and stood at the foot of the bed staring at Merton. "So that's him." She finally said, "Not what I pictured. You always described him as being stronger."  
  
"Merton always looks like this when he sleeps," Vince brushed his fingertips across Merton's forehead. "Like crystal."  
  
"And you know what I do with crystals." She walked closer and leaned over top of him, "I crush crystals."  
  
Swiftly, she grabbed one of the extra pillows sitting beside Merton's head and pressed it overtop of his face. Vince grabbed the pillow from her hands and pushed her away from Merton. Pel stumbled backwards and his Merton's dresser. Vince quickly got off the bed as Merton shifted in his sleep.  
  
"What are you doing?" He hissed.  
  
"I could ask the same thing of you." Pel's voice was indignant, "If you wanted to smother him yourself, you could have said so. I just thought that you'd rather not."  
  
"Smother Merton! Why would Pel kill Merton?"  
  
"You make you real. You can't be real if Merton is alive. You want to be like me… don't you?"  
  
"Not if it means killing Merton."  
  
"You can't expect to become real without a price attached. And why do you want to keep him alive anyway? Last time you saw him he wanted to destroy you and he almost succeeded! I say we kill him now and then you'll be just like me."  
  
"Like you? If being like you means feeling no guilt, killing innocent people and murdering my Creator, than Vince would rather be imaginary forever."  
  
"You don't understand! You don't know what it's like to be able to taste, to feel, to breath the air! When I kiss you, it's like kissing a brick wall. You can't feel love."  
  
"Vince does feel love. Just not for Pel."  
  
Pel got a look of shock on her face as if Vince had punched her in the stomach. Her lower lip quivered and her eyes filled with tears. She clenched her fists and flung herself at Merton, flailing her limps widely. Vince grabbed her arms and twisted them behind her back. He slammed his head into her head three times before Pel was knocked unconscious. She slumped into his arms and Vince half carried, half dragged her up the stairs, his own head aching.  
  
He finally got her outside and set her on the ground. Vince gently shook her and Pel opened her eyes. They were glazed over but when she saw Vince, they narrowed into angry slits. She shoved him away from her and sat up.  
  
They sat like that for a long while, silent and refusing to acknowledge one another. Finally, just as the sun began to rise, Pel broke the silence.  
  
"Why won't you let me kill him?" Her voice was cracked and bitter, "He's eating away at you. And he'll keep eating away at you until he's dead."  
  
"Vince can't kill him. And neither can Pel."  
  
"Why not? What's so special about him? He's just like a million other people. Over four billion other humans on this planet and you'll let me kill any of them. But I can't kill Merton. Why not Vince?"  
  
"Because Vince loves him." Vince stood up and stood overtop of Pel, "Because he created Vince. Because he's Merton and Vince won't let Pel touch him."  
  
Pel cowered on the ground; all the hate and anger washed out of her eyes and replaced with tears. Vince suddenly realized what had kept him with Pel for so long. It wasn't affection he felt for Pel. It was pity that made him stay.  
  
"Sorry…" She whispered, tears rolling down her face, "I shouldn't have brought us here."  
  
Her tears might have made Vince feel something a day ago. But now he knew that she used them in the same way that she used everything else; as a tool to get what she wanted. The tears meant nothing to her, just water pouring out of her eyes to make him feel guilty.  
  
Vince felt no guilt this time. She was a child mentally though she looked like a woman. A highly intelligent child but nothing more than a child. Pel had all the reasoning power of a three year old and it become worse and worse as she deepened upon Vince more and more. But now he would have to change that, for better or worse. It was time for Pel to grow up.  
  
"Stand up." He said, not unkindly but no gently either. Pel immediately scrambled to her feet and waited expectantly for him to say something. "We're going."  
  
She opened her mouth to say something, perhaps protest or maybe agree, but she shut it when Vince fixed his gaze on her. He didn't feel like listening to her anymore.  
  
They left town in silence. Vince drove this time. 


	6. And Now He's Got A Choice To Make

Letting go, it's so hard  
  
1 The way it's hurting now  
  
To get this love untied  
  
So tough to stay with thing  
  
'Cause if I follow through  
  
I face what I denied  
  
I get those hooks out of me  
  
And I take out the hooks that I sunk deep in your side  
  
Kill that fear of emptiness, loneliness I hide  
  
~Washing of the Water, Peter Gabriel  
  
~  
  
It's been one full year.  
  
She was sitting with her back against the side of the school, the same school where he first met her. He doesn't know if Pel realized it or not but she was dressed exactly the same as before, right down to her purple sandals. She hasn't changed in that long year.  
  
But Vince has changed. One year ago, he was lonely and a miserable wreck who needed someone to need him. But one year can change a person. Or, in Vince's case, a figment of someone's imagination. He's been in a snowball fight, bandaged a bleeding hand, eaten food to make someone else happy, been involved in a high-speed car chase and watched it end in a violent explosion. And now he knows that he doesn't need anyone to make him feel real.  
  
And he doesn't need Pel.  
  
He walked towards her, his clothing shifting back to the green, black and white plaid that was familiar to him, so familiar that he didn't even need to concentrate to slip into it. Pel looked up and smiled, "I've got a great idea. We'll go to…"  
  
"Pel."  
  
"…Europe. Britain or some place like that. And…"  
  
"Pel."  
  
"…we'll check the castles and other old stuff…"  
  
"Pel."  
  
"…like houses and…"  
  
"Pel!"  
  
She finally snapped out of her rambling. "What? You want to do something different?"  
  
"Vince is leaving."  
  
"Because if you do I'm completely…what?"  
  
"Vince is leaving."  
  
She stared blankly at him for a moment and then began to laugh, "Great joke Vince, you almost had me going for a moment."  
  
"Vince is not joking."  
  
"Vince stop it," She rolled her eyes, "I don't feel like joking right now. So, where do you want to go?"  
  
"Good bye Pel. Thank you for helping Vince." He turned and walked towards the car he had bought a few towns back. Vince had made Pel buy one this time instead of stealing. The guilt had been too much for him but Pel hadn't felt a thing. She never did.  
  
"Wait!" He heard her scrabble to her feet and run after him, "Vince! This isn't funny!"  
  
He reached the car before she did and slipped into the seat. Vince turned the keys in the ignition, feeling the car purr to life beneath him. Pel appeared beside him and grasped his shoulder.  
  
"Come on, " Her voice was calm but her eyes was panicked, "Funny joke Vince, ha ha and all that but that's enough."  
  
He didn't say a thing, just shifted the car into drive and hit the turn signal.  
  
"Vince!" She dropped all pretence of being calm and her voice became frenzied, "Please don't leave me! I need you! I can't be alone."  
  
"Vince is sorry Pel," He spared her one last look, "Vince is sorry Vince used you because Vince was too afraid to be alone. But now Vince has to go. Vince hopes that Pel can find her happiness and maybe a little inner peace. Vince knows you killed Jeff. Good bye."  
  
She drew back as if she had been slapped, her mouth in an O of surprise. Vince pressed on the gas and drove away. The reflection of a purple girl faded from his rear view mirror as he turned the corner and headed out of town. He had no idea where he was going or what he would do when he got there. But none of that mattered, not the moment anyway.  
  
Vince switched on the radio and slipped on a pair of shades. As his hand caught the sunlight, he paused, seeing the faint lines that were forming on his skin. He turned his fingers towards him, watching as swirls and loops, crude imitations of a fingerprint that a child would make, formed the formerly unmarked skin.  
  
And then he smiled, happy to be alive, happy to be free.  
  
Happy to be Vince.  
  
~  
  
You're packing a suitcase for a place  
  
None of us has been  
  
A place that has to be believed  
  
To be seen  
  
~Walk On, U2 


	7. But Time Will Tell If It Was The Right O...

EPILOGUE:  
  
Pel watched as Vince drove out of sight, tears blurring the world surrounding her. She dropped to her knees and buried her head into her hand. She stayed like for a long while, her tears staining her hands and shirt. The school day ended and many children passed by her. But not one of them dared to comfort her.  
  
Silence took the playground and night soon followed. But Pel didn't move. Her tears dried and her hands dropped. But she stayed kneeling by the side of the road, staring into the distance. A gentle breeze started up and began to blow trash across the playground. A crumpled green piece of paper rolled on the earth in front of Pel.  
  
Something in her snapped. The little girl began to grow up. But what Vince had not counted on was that the transition between a child and an adult would be more dangerous that the child ever could be.  
  
"You'll pay…" She whispered, eyes no longer tear stained, "I'll hurt the ones you love. I'll make you suffer and make you pay. And then, when it looks like it can't get any worse, I'll kill your Creator and make you live with his death for eternity. Hell has no fury like a woman scorned. And you'll learn that first hand Vince."  
  
She stood, her clothing shifting into jeans and a long sleeved shirt. A cruel, cold look entered her eyes and she began to walk down the street Vince had driven down when he left her behind. There was much to plan; how the deeds would be done, when they would be done. It would take patience, something Pel had very little of, and it would take cunning. But it would also take time.  
  
And that was something Pel had plenty of that.  
  
~  
  
Since you've gone I've been lost without a trace  
  
I dream at night, I can only see your face  
  
I look around, but it's you I can't replace  
  
I feel so cold, and I long for your embrace  
  
I keep crying baby, baby please,  
  
Oh, can't you see  
  
You belong to me?  
  
How my poor heart aches  
  
With every step you take  
  
Every move you make  
  
Every vow you break  
  
Every smile you fake, every claim you stake  
  
I'll be watching you  
  
Every move you make, every step you take  
  
I'll be watching you  
  
I'll be watching you  
  
~Ever Breath You Take, The Police  
  
~Q.E.D~  
  
AN: If anyone wants to read more of Pel's snarking and Vince's attempt to keep her quiet, they can do so at Pel's Deadjournal ( www.deadjournal.com/~pelnvince ). 


End file.
